Pavement



Jan. 14, 1969 J. c. PILAAR 3,421,417

PAVEMENT I Filed July 11, 1966 Sheet of 2 i \NVENTOR:

JAN CAREL WAHR Jan. 14, 1969 J. c. PILAAR 3,421,417

PAVEMENT Filed July 11, 1966 Shet 2 of 2 i iNvENTom d AN CARE L PILAAP ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,421,417 PAVEMENT Jan Carel Pilaar, Boslaan 3, Warnsveld, Netherlands Filed July 11, 1966, Ser. No. 564,167 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Nov. 7, 1965,

6514966 UiSt Cl. 94-11 18 Claims Int. Cl. E01c /00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE -The invention relates to a pavement, which may be made of brick or block.

Especially recently the problem of opening up recreation areas is steadily growing. This problem consists in making these areas accessible as well as livable which includes the building of places for parking, lavatories, etc.

If roads with a normal pavement of bricks, asphalt and the like, would be used as approach roads, they would soon acquire the character of normal traffic roads and speed traffic would increasingly take possession of them with the result that the traversed areas would lose much of their value as recreation areas. The flora would suffer from the influence of the exhaust gases, the slopes and verges would be destroyed by parking. If especially surfaced parking places would be constructed for this parking, this would reduce the size of the recreation areas; notably would these parking places take up part of the green ground flora (grass, moss, etc.). Similar considerations apply to the problem of making the areas livable.

The invention aims at providing a solution for this problem. A brick or block which may be applied for a pavement is characterized in that it has upon its upper surface one or more grooves and at the edges one or more half-grooves and at its side surfaces such recesses that after the paving one or more horizontal grooves and vertically, one or more continuous apertures or channels will occur in the bond.

The advantages of this brick or block and the pavement made with it as well as preferred embodiments thereof are described by the aid of the drawing of two embodiments of such bricks or blocks according to the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view on a first embodiment according to the invention; v

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the brick of FIG. 1 and shows in phantom cooperating bolcks in a pavement.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view on a second embodiment of a brick according to the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a top view of the brick of FIG. 3 and shows in phantom cooperating blocks in a pavement.

The brick or block shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a horizontal cross section in the shape of a square but it is also possible to give this brick or block a rectangular, hexagonal or another shape. The sides of this lbrick are provided with recesses or channels 9 which are in a horizontal cross section semicircular and the corners with recesses or channels 10 which are quartercircular in 3,421,417 Patented Jan. 14, 1969 cross section. It will be clear that square, rectangular and otherwise shaped recesses may be applied. Between the recesses there remain fiat pants 8. These flat parts lie in the brick bond against adjacent bricks and any desired bond may be applied (stretching bond, zigzag bond, diagonal bond etc.), but in such a fashion that the recesses or channels 9 and 10 of adjacent bricks complement or cooperate with each other and form in horizontal cross section, completely omnilaterally enclosed channels, or holes having circular shapes 1 and 2, square etc. shapes. The bond may, if desired, be strengthened by e.g. grooves and furrows (not shown) upon and in the flat parts 8.

At its bottom the brick is flat, whilst the flat upper surface 7 has, in vertical cross section, recesses or grooves 4, 5, 6 and 6. The under side of one recess 5 and the under sides of the semi-recesses 6 are preferably lying at the same height and lower than the under sides of the recess 4 and the half-recesses 6 at the edges. As shown in the drawings the upper edges of the grooves are rounded. In this way the brick bond gets two sets of continuous recesses, which sets are perpendicular to each other and one set is preferably deeper than the other. With hexagonal bricks three sets of recesses may be obtained, with octagonal bricks various sets in which between the flat sides alternately also holes are formed in the bond. The grooves 6 and 6' are along edges of the block and grooves 4 and 5 are spaced from edges of the block. The grooves intersect so that the intersections of grooves 6 and 6 are at corners of the block and the intersections of grooves 4 and 6' are at edges of the block and intersections of groove 5 and grooves 6 are at edges of the block. The intersection of channels 4 and 5 is spaced from the edges of the block. The channels 9 and 10 extend from the bottom of a groove intersection through the bottom surface of the block so that, for example, at a corner of the lblOCk there is a groove intersection (intersection of grooves 6 and 6') and a corresponding channel 10. In the sides of the block are channels 9 which correspond to the groove intersections at the edges of the block. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 there is no channel corresponding to the intersection of grooves 4 and 5, so that in these figures all the channels are on the periphery of the block and correspond to groove intersections on said periphery.

After a possible deepening of the ground, in such a way that the upper surfaces 7 of the bricks will lie about flush with the ground level, the bricks are placed on the ground in a side-by-side arrangement to form one layer of blocks. Subsequently the recesses 1 and 2 between the bricks are filled with earth, as the case may be, sprayed with water and grass or the like is sown. After some time the grass will grow between the bricks in the enclosed channels 1 and 2. The roots are adequately protected as they lie beneath the bricks and in the lower part of the enclosed channels 1 and 2. The grass emerges above the bricks and forms between these bricks and in the recesses or channels 4, 5, 6 and 6 a carpet of turf which conceals the bricks for the greater part or even entirely from view. This gives the impression that nature has not been damaged by paving.

It goes without saying that drainage is not necessary as the enclosed channels l and 2 draw :away the water downwards. On the other hand mowing is very well possible.

If the roads thus built are used, traflic will not damage the turf as the grass grows or is bent for the greater part in the grooves 4, 5, 6 and 6. That the grass may be flattened somewhat at its upper side is no objection as the under side of the grass or the like lies protected in the said grooves. It is an important advantage that speed traflic on the road thus built is eliminated. Instead, parking and very slow traffic results. In this way not only entirely green roads and parking places are obtained in recreation areas, but the same result could be obtained on the verges of speed trafiic roads, on access roads for the fire brigades and in a camping on picknick places, the washing accommodation in campings and the places for drawing up caravans, tents, demountable houses and the like.

The bricks may also profitably be used for paving dikes and slopes, strips along the runways of aircraft so that the latter do not run the often fatal risk of braking on the grass alongside such a runway (startingor take-off run) etc.

The ramps to villas and the like can, without damaging the rural beauty, be widened with such a pavement.

By halving the brick vertically along the diagonal it is possible to avoid the necessity of manufacturing brick of special shapes e.g. along verges, landing runs and the like if the side surfaces of the bricks make an angle of 45 degrees with the verges etc.

In order to give an idea of a practicable brick a few measurements of a concrete brick applied with good results on a test field are as follows: height cm.; length and width-20 cm.; width of the grooves 4 and 55.2 cm.; width of the grooves 6 and 6-2.6 cm.; depth of grooves 5 and 62.8 cm.; depth of the recesses 4 and 61.4 cm. The width of the flattened bottoms of the said grooves is about 1 cm. (4 and 5) and 0.5 cm. (6 and 6). The radius of the enclosed channels 1 and 2 formed in the bond is about 3.3 cm.

The bond formed by these bricks is well ridable and motorable, the grass mat covers the brick in such a fashion that it is not or hardly visible, mowing can take place without any difficulty also by motor mower. Long parking does not cause subsidence of the brick which is perhaps a result of the grass vegetation. But, as already mentioned, the pavement may be enabled to carry even heavier loads without obection by e.g. a groove or groove bond.

The brick shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is of the same construction as that of FIGS. 1 and 2 but has, additionally, a central hole or enclosed channel 3, by which the number of channels for each brick in the bond is brought from eight to nine. It appeared that this embodiment in which the central enclosed channel hole 3 may be smaller (in the abovementioned example this enclosed channel 3 could have a radius of 2.5 cm.), is the most favourable. The various parts are otherwise similarly numbered but with a prime added. The central channel 3 extends from the bottom of the intersection of grooves 4 and 5, said intersection and the corresponding channel 3 being spaced from the edges of the block.

It goes without saying that the holes can also be arranged in another way, e.g. exclusively at the corners or exclusively on the centres of the side surfaces 8, with or without a central channel 3. The channels 1 and/ or 2 and/ or 3 occurring in the bond or present in the brick as well as one or more grooves 4 and/or 5 are essential. The height, the widths and the shape of the brick or block may also be chosen as the occasion requires. As a material concrete (as the case may be reinforced concrete) but also other material may be applied. In place of brick bonded to brick or laying loosely along each other, the grooves and apertures may be directly formed in monolithic concrete, asphalt or other material, such as plastic material, so that in final appearance the pavement will identically resemble the bonded or separate bricks.

I claim:

1. A block for paving having a substantially flat bottom surface and an upper surface and at least two intersecting grooves extending in the plane of said upper surface, at least one of said grooves being spaced from edges of said block, and at least one channel extending from the bottom of the intersection of said grooves through said bottom surface, said intersection and said channel being on the periphery of said block, the order of the width of said channel not substantially exceeding the order of the width of each groove at said intersection so that when said block is placed in a pavement in a side-by-side arrangement with similar blocks, vegetation may grow in said channels and bend in said grooves.

2. A block for paving according to claim 1, wherein said intersection is at an edge of said block and said channel lies in a side of said block.

3. A block for paving according to claim 1, including at least one intersection at a block corner with a corresponding channel at said corner.

4. A block for paving according to claim 1, wherein there is .a groove along each edge of the block, said grooves intersecting at the corners of the block, "a plurality of grooves spaced from the block edges and intersecting the edge grooves on the periphery of the block, and channels on the periphery of the block extending from the bottom of groove intersections through said bottom surface.

5. A block for paving according to claim 4, wherein there is a channel on the periphery of the block corresponding to each intersection on the periphery.

6. A block for paving according to claim 5, wherein at least two of said grooves spaced from the block edges intersect in a location spaced from the block edges and there is a corresponding channel extending from the bottom of said intersection through said bottom surface.

7. A block for paving according to claim 4, wherein the upper edges of the grooves are rounded to avoid cutting edges for the vegetation.

8. A block for paving according to claim 4, wherein at least one of said grooves is deeper than others.

9. A pavement comprising a plurality of paving blocks positioned in a side-by-side arrangement on the ground, each block having a bottom surface and an upper surface and at least two intersecting grooves extending in the plane of said upper surface, at least one of said grooves being spaced from the edges of said block, and at least one channel extending from the bottom of the intersection of said grooves through said bottom surface, the order of the width of said channel not substantially exceeding the order of the width of each groove at said intersection, said intersection and said channel being on the periphery of said block, said blocks being so arranged that channels or the peripheries of adjacent blocks cooperate with each other to form enclosed channels in which vegetation may grow and said vegetation may bend in said grooves, said pavement being constituted by only one layer of blocks.

10. A pavement according to claim 9, wherein said channels are at least partially filled with soil to support the growth of vegetation therein.

11. A pavement according to claim 10, wherein the bottom surfaces of the blocks are substantially flat.

12. A pavement according to claim 11, wherein there are groove intersections at block corners with correspond ing channels at block corners.

13. A pavement according to claim 11, wherein there are groove intersections at block edges and there are corresponding channels in the sides of the block.

14. A pavement according to claim 11, wherein there is a groove along each edge of the block, said grooves intersecting at the corners of the block, a plurality of grooves spaced from the block edges and intersecting the edge grooves on the periphery of the block, and channels on the periphery of the block extending from the bottom of groove intersections through said bottom surface.

15. A pavement according to claim 14, wherein there is a channel on the periphery of the block corresponding to each intersection on the periphery.

16. A pavement according to claim 15, wherein at least two of said grooves spaced from the block edges intersect in a location spaced from the block edges and there is a corresponding channel extending from the bottom of said intersection through said bottom surface.

5 6 17. A pavement according to claim 15, wherein the 1,772,821 8/1930 Weber 94-13 XR upper edges of the grooves are rounded to avoid cutting 2,662,343 12/ 1953 Rice 94-11XR edges for the vegetation. 3,343,648 9/ 1967 Schraudenbach 94-11 18. A pavement according to claim 15, wherein at 3,176,468 4/1965 Shoshichiro et a1. 61-4 least one of said grooves is deeper than others. FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited 10,112 10/ 1879 Germany.

728,181 4/1932 France.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 734,342 7/ 1932 France. 242,689 6/ 1881 Pelletier 94-11 306,251 10/1884 H y n 10 JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Primary Examiner. 314,022 3/1885 Heard 94-11XR 572,762 12/ 1896 Landers. US. Cl. X.R.

1,636,114 7/1927 Streator 94-13 94-2 

